


Dancing on Broken Glass

by Speckleflower



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma Attack, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Evil Lila Rossi, F/M, Fluffy Ending, GabeNath Reverse Bang, GabeNath Reverse Bang 2020, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:35:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28113990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Speckleflower/pseuds/Speckleflower
Summary: It was Lila that almost reduced Paris to rubble.It was that conflict that caused an irreversible change to two miraculous holders.It was that change that brought them together.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur
Comments: 47
Kudos: 67
Collections: GabeNath Reverse Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Gabenath Reverse Bang! Thank you so much to HappieBirdie for beta-ing!!  
> Find Sarahsaurus' AMAZING art for the story [ here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/sarahsaura)!!

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I am hereby giving you the role of Guardian. You will look after the Miracle Box."

Lila whirled around, flattened herself against the wall and pumped her fist, a smirk widening across her whole face.

"I take it you saw that, Hawkmoth?" An eyebrow quirked as the purple mask shocked into cold existence before her.

"Yes. Thank you Lila Rossi, you have been very helpful."

Lila had been very helpful indeed; after having seen and heard Marinette talking to a flying red creature, she had deduced that the girl was Ladybug. The emotion she had felt then had been unique enough to call an akuma, and she had gleefully explained what she had seen. Now granted the power of stealth, she had followed Marinette to this old man's house, and Hawkmoth had informed her that he was in fact the guardian of the miraculous. However she knew Hawkmoth was cowardly, and wouldn’t form any concise plan, so she jumped the lead gun and went ahead. And now they had discovered that the guardianship was to be transferred to Marinette, the young naive hero. Taking the Miracle box would be simple.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Of all people, it had to be  _ her _ .  _ Wonderful _ . Like she didn’t need to be any more of a goody-goody. Ugh--Lila balled her hands into fists--she was the  _ hero _ of Paris. Loved by all. Lila didn’t care what it took; she’d tear down the whole of Paris just to get rid of that girl.

"Oh no, I'm not done yet,” Lila said through gritted teeth. “I can get you the miracle box, and Chat Noir."

"Oh? I'm listening." His voice was almost monotonous, betraying nothing, but Lila could detect a small sliver of curiosity and longing in the fine tones that she was certain no one else would pick up. But things like these were in her nature--to be as successful as her, one had to know to notice these things.

"Just watch and see." She decided not to waste time entertaining his interests, and resumed listening in through the window, unseen by them due to the powers Hawkmoth had given her.

“I, Wang Fu, hereby renounce the miracle box and transfer the guardianship to Ladybug.”

There was a flash, and then the box, which had previously been a hexagonal shape, morphed into a sleek Ladybug-spotted elongated sphere, with no visible openings. “You must keep this safe at all times, do you understand?”

“Yes, Master,” Marinette replied, a waver in her voice which could only have been brought on due to the stress she would now have to undertake. Lila heard the sound of the door clicking, signalling Marinette’s departure.

Lila waited patiently. Just a few more moments and she would be in position.

After shadowing her for a few blocks, she spotted an alley that Marinette would pass, and didn't hesitate to take the opportunity.

She grabbed Marinette and shoved her to the floor inside the alley, removing the miracle box from the bag which she had yanked off her back. It had been all too easy. Then, “Tikki, spots on!” she heard, just as she expected, and in a pink flash, Ladybug appeared on the ground. She quickly threw her yo-yo but Lila sidestepped and held her down so she couldn’t swing away. Though it didn’t stop her from opening her yo-yo and urgently hissing, “Chat! Come and help me, Lila Rossi has taken the miracle box!” Lila slapped her to the ground with no remorse.

Perfect. Now she would have both the heroes under her thumb.

In a matter of seconds, a silvery baton appeared on the ground next to her, signalling Chat Noir’s arrival. Lila jabbed the bottom of it with a sharp swipe, and the baton careened off to the side, along with a black-suited body which tumbled down. Lila smirked at the irony of him not landing on his feet before placing a heeled shoe on his back, and not softly either.

Faster than the stunned boy, she swept down and plucked the ring off his finger.

Without even looking at who was revealed by the green flash of Chat's detransformation, she knocked him out with a deft strike, and turned to Ladybug. Who was gone. Though she did hear a scrabbling of stones and a suppressed intake of breath when she had forced Chat Noir to detransform, signalling that Ladybug had seen.

That complicated things, Lila thought, bringing a finger to her temple to brush away a stray strand of hair. Only slightly, though. Ladybug was only one miraculous holder, and Lila currently held all the cards.

But the bug would come back for her alley cat and the rest of the miraculouses.

Lila looked down to find out the identity of her adversary, and cocked her head in surprise upon seeing a familiar outfit. She rolled him over with a foot just to check, and yes, it was none other than Adrien Agreste. It hadn’t been what she was expecting, but her eyes only widened for a second, and then her brain was back to scheming. It would have been nicer to have the akuma on hand to boost her powers for her plan, but she had accomplished what she wanted.

"That's enough, Lila. You will release the akuma to me." Hawkmoth managed to get out.

"Aww, Moth Man can't keep hold of his pets?” Lila taunted. “Tough, I'm taking this akuma. And you can't stop me."

"Lila!" Hawkmoth concentrated, but he could feel his pull on the butterfly slipping away. Finally, in a last effort that brought beads of sweat to his forehead, he managed to wrest it free from her necklace.

Lila waved away the butterfly--that plan hadn’t worked out, anyway. Then she slid the miraculous of the cat onto a slender finger.

First she transformed with the black cat miraculous. Deciding to save her cataclysm for later, she held the miracle box at eye height, inspecting it. After barely ten seconds of careful scrutiny, she set it down on the ground, and pressed two thumbs to two barely-visible circular indentations on the side. Each black spot popped out into a little tray complete with miraculouses. “Child’s play,” Lila muttered, but her eyes shone as she reached inside.

The ox kwami advised her not to transform with too many miraculouses, but it did admit that its power would make the ordeal less damaging, so next she transformed with that. The ox kwami had also told her its power, and she was  _ very  _ interested.

After, she chose the Fox and the Turtle, gritting her teeth at a jolt in her head as their high-pitched voices telling her not to proceed rattled around her skull, however she stopped at the Tiger miraculous, as a sharp pang shot through her, and she grudgingly left the miracle box behind. But she had what she needed.

Delicious power coursed through her. And it was only painless for a second.

"Aargh!" she growled, bringing hands up to clasp her face. "I- can't-" Lila shook her head violently and tried to focus ahead, mind spinning.

She felt a tinge inside her, as if the kwamis she hadn't listened to were spitefully saying,  _ we told you so. _

She blocked the voices out and left anyway, not looking back.


	2. Chapter 2

Nathalie Sancoeur threw her miraculous to the floor, panting heavily. “Are you alright?” The small creature next to her squeaked. Nathalie blinked hard, trying to get her head round the influx of emotions that had just slammed into her mind. It had almost brought her to the ground, and she had flung off her brooch in an effort to stop it. “Duusu, you  _ know  _ the answer to that,” she replied through gritted teeth.

Then her phone rang, and she made her way over to it on wobbly feet, composing herself before picking up, on seeing that it was Gabriel calling.

“Nathalie? Have you seen what Lila Rossi did- is doing?” Gabriel's choice held a frantic undertone, which unsettled her greatly. But she knew it was justified. The first news of what was happening in Paris had come on the news channel, but that had been cut out--Nathalie didn't know whether that was from them realising they needed to hide, or if… they hadn't made it. Either way, she no longer needed the TV to see the destruction. And it was getting bad.

The heroes had no way of obtaining their miraculous and transforming. Only Ladybug had her miraculous, but she had retreated, just because Lila was too powerful. Nathalie didn't know if she was alright, or if she had been forced to run due to injury. The assistant realised that this was the first time she had felt any sort of empathy towards the red-spotted heroine.

Then she felt the weight of the heavy silence, and just as she realised that Gabriel was waiting for an answer, he spoke again. "Nathalie? Are you there?" Concern laced his voice.

She swallowed, which unfortunately caused a bout of coughing. She held the receiver as far away as possible, then brought it back.

“Nathalie? Are you alright?” Gabriel worried.

“Oh, yes I'm here, sorry for the confusion. And I’m fine, don’t worry." She felt no need to continue the formal conversation and ignore the threat. "And, judging by the fact I'm looking out of my window and almost half the skyline is gone, I'd say that I have seen what she's doing, yes...”

“Can you come here? Please? As fast as you can?”

"I- yes."

"Thank you."

"Wait, sir-"

"We'll talk when you get here." He interrupted her.

Nathalie thought for a second.

Swiping her miraculous from the floor and pinning it to her chest, she stood still momentarily. Then, muttering her transformation phrase, she transformed and slipped out from the window. Taking into account Paris’s current state, she doubted anyone would notice her.

The shadow landed swiftly on the lair floor, making little to no sound despite the echoing qualities of the large space. Mayura stumbled and detransformed; a kwami swirled outwards to hover in front of her, taking a grape that the woman held out soundlessly once she had regained her composure--although this took several seconds, and Nathalie was still trembling.

Nevertheless, Gabriel, who had been sitting cross legged on the floor--which was strange to behold, given that Nathalie had never seen him not standing or sitting in a position of dominance--acknowledged her arrival with a turn of his head, and stood up. His eyes widened, “Nathalie! Are you sure you’re okay?” He closed the gap between them with a couple of steps, and steadied her on her feet.

Nathalie's face turned mildly embarrassed as she looked down at herself. Only now she remembered that even though she was still wearing her red turtleneck from earlier, she had discarded her slacks for denim shorts.

“Um… sorry about my, uh- attire. I didn’t expect to be coming back here today.” She stammered, mentally kicking herself.

“No, it’s fine." Gabriel said dismissively, and she blinked as he continued, "There are more important matters. But please be honest with me, should you be here? You look like you can barely stand..."

“No matter--we need to do something.” Nathalie cut him off. “We’re the only miraculous holders left, apart from Ladybug.”

“I- I agree. This whole time… it’s been  _ Adrien.  _ I can’t ignore that, but right now there isn’t enough time.” Nathalie had never before heard him sound so vulnerable. But when had he ever been in a situation like this? He had just found out that he had been fighting against his son for the last year. Heck, she wasn't exactly feeling peachy either.

_ Adrien _ . Chat Noir was  _ Adrien _ . The boy she had practically raised. Oh God, she had fought him. She had dealt blows to Adrien. “Gabriel, we can make things right,” she said. But her attempt at comfort somehow sounded ingenuine.

Nathalie’s mind turned. Then, slowly, something began to form in her head, and her doubt ebbed, just a little.

“Gabriel, I think you should akumatise me.” The words were out of her mouth before she had fully formed the idea.

“Why?”

“Because akumatising a miraculous holder will give them more powers, and that’s what we need right now.”

“But you can’t do this! Look at the state you’re in… It would kill you.”

She gasped, taken aback at his bluntness, as his eyes widened in realisation of what he’s said and he struggled to amend his words. “You know you’re already sick, and akumatising you while you’re transformed? You wouldn’t be able to make it out!”

“Please, I want to do something right for once!”

“There are other, less drastic ways!” He argued.

“Gabriel!” She repeated, beating her fists against his chest in frustration, and he stood there, letting her anger run out, drain from her like a waterfall. “It’s been so long, and I’m so tired, and now the majority of the population of the city, people we grew up with and live with every day, are about to  _ die _ ! What other way is there!” She choked, and Gabriel stood there like he had stood through pain and loss, as still as a statue. Only when her raised voice had turned to sobs half-mixed with coughs, muffled against the fabric of his shirt, which she had collapsed against, did he think to do something. But what? He brought his hands out, causing Nathalie to shift and lean more on him, and looked at his fingers, arms awkwardly out. He gently placed his hands on her back, and she tensed for a second, before returning to shaking. But now, she felt… more at ease? Like crying for justice. Crying tears halfway to happiness.

Like crying with a friend. Whose arms were safely around her.

“If I die,” she mumbled, “Promise me you’ll be a better father to Adrien.”

“What? You won’t die!” He assured. But he knew that he couldn’t guarantee it. And he hated it. “I’m not akumatising you, anyway.” However, it was certain that they would both be fighting. And due to her state, he didn’t know how much more she could take.

“Promise me!” She gripped his shoulders.

“I promise,” he breathed, the sinking feeling in his chest tightening a vise around his heart. Then, “If I akumatise you, it’ll be dangerous...” he began.

“Yes, it will.”

Then Gabriel realised how stupid his statement had been. “When have I ever not put you or I into danger, over the last year?” He verbally reprimanded himself.

“I never saw it like that.”

“Then you were the only one.”

"It wasn't your fault. And I  _ chose _ to help you."

"You shouldn't have gotten dragged into this anyway. "

“No, you- you helped me realise who I am. And I’m grateful.”

“But… I didn’t do anything.”

“Gabriel, it’s the little things in life. And I’ve never regretted Mayura for a second.” She smiled softly.

They both inhaled sharply.

He shook his head firmly. “No, I can’t. I can’t condemn you to this.”

“You had no problem akumatising people before.”

It was true, and it hurt. “I know it sounds selfish now, but they weren’t… you. And now I know how… wrong it was. But they weren’t dying like you are.”

She made a small noise in her throat, and then tears were flowing down her cheeks.

“What? Did I say something wrong?” Hawkmoth asked, worried.

“No, quite the opposite. You- no one’s ever spoken to me like that before… shown so much care,” she whimpered.

“Alright, I’m doing this for Paris,” Nathalie continued, almost like it was a mantra to convince herself. “So we can repair our mistakes. And if not that… then for Adrien.”

Nooroo spoke softly from somewhere near Gabriel’s shoulder. “It’s not just that, is it?”

Nathalie somehow managed to make herself even smaller. Gabriel cradled her in his arms and she melted into the embrace. “Gabriel, I- I…”

She loved him. He could feel it--had been, for a while. He just hadn’t known what to do.

“I- I know,” was all he could stammer.

“But… Emilie?” He felt her confusion, and her self-resentment for loving him when their objective was to return his wife back to him, and it stung that he had caused this in her. She was better than him. There was no malevolent feeling toward Emilie, only curiosity.

But he had to come to terms with himself now.

“She’s gone, Nathalie. You’ve always known that, and yet you still stayed with me. I was blind.”

She looked upwards into his eyes, then slumped again into his arms. “I love you Gabriel, dammit.” Her glasses were a hard presence against his chest, as her head was turned sideways. He felt her resignation, like she was giving up, like she was a lost cause. Like an assistant falling in love with her boss--something which could never happen.

But Gabriel knew that wasn't exactly true.

“Since when?” He whispered tentatively.

“Since… we met." She admitted in defeat. "Since I realised you would do anything for your friends. And it carried on to when you went to the greatest lengths to bring Emilie back.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why would I tell you? You and Emilie, you were perfect together. From the moment you talked in the alley together that day-”

“You saw?”

He felt her nod. “I was so happy for you,” she whispered.

“Oh Nathalie. It must have hurt you every time you saw us together, and you didn’t say anything?”

“How could I? Emilie was my best friend!”

“Even when you started working for me, and she was my wife?”

Nathalie didn’t reply.

“Oh Nathalie, I love you too.” Gabriel brushed his lips against Nathalie’s forehead, hearing her intake of breath and shudder. He tucked her head under his chin, consequently breathing in the clean scent of her hair, and staring into the depths of the lair.

At the same time as her happiness and relief punctuated him, he felt her smile into his chest with a small sob, and his hand cupped the back of her head gently. It was then that he realised there was a flower pinned in her hair, and that he had noticed it being there for the last few days.

“What’s the flower for?” He asked softly.

“It’s a carnation,” she whispered back. “It’s my favourite flower, and it’s-” she caught herself- “It  _ was _ my mother’s favourite flower. Before- before she died, last week.” She sniffed, “I’ve taken to wearing it recently.”

“Nathalie, I’m so sorry.” A tear collected in Gabriel’s eye. How had he not known this? She was so good at hiding her emotions, it was painful.

“It’s okay,” she said, “Sorry for bringing this up-”

“No, no, don’t worry. Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Come on, let’s go ahead.”

Gabriel transformed, arms still around her.

“Nooroo, dark wings rise.”

He withdrew and extended a hand to brush her cheek, and she leant into it, gazing at him forlornly. Then he closed his eyes. A moment later, a white butterfly alighted on his fingertips. He closed the other hand over it, waited for a second, and released the butterfly, now gleaming a flickering purple.

They watched it for a few silent seconds, as well as the other butterflies flitting sleepily around them, the rest of which were white, dyed shades of pastel by the sun filtering in through the window.

Then Hawkmoth realised she was about to do something. He felt it in the way she tensed in his arms, and in her _mind._ He felt her confliction, and it was leading to an outburst. A breath hitched in his throat as he tried to think of something to say, realising what she was meaning to do, but she got there first. In a low, controlled voice, Hawkmoth heard, “Duusu, spread my feathers,” and he felt her transformation wave over her. Mayura shoved Hawkmoth away with no warning, making him stumble back and lose his balance. A hand--now blue-- grabbed the akuma, pressing it to her miraculous, just as a tremor shook the mansion.

She gasped as the connection was made, and she heard a strangled cry of “No!” from Gabriel, as the glowing purple mask appeared in front of his head as well, lighting up the pain in his face which she had no doubt was reflected in hers.

“You don’t have time for another plan, quickly!” she hissed.

Hawkmoth’s eyes darted around, stricken, and he bit his lip in discord, but then he stood and took her trembling hands in his.

Silence befell the lair.

Then.

“White Dove.” His voice cracked on the name that he had crafted for her, and his eyes wandered to the side, to look at something else,  _ anything _ else. “A lone bird, duly fighting for- for the person she loves.” He whispered as new emotions flooded his mind, making his heart ache. His and hers, mingling. He clenched his teeth and continued. “And now fighting for your home city, when it is in the most need. Put the past behind you, but don’t forget its teachings. With the knowledge of the future I’m giving you, break free of your cage, fly unhindered, and do what is right,” he finished, voice gravelly.

The world seemed to revolve around them as their gazes locked. Light blue into magenta, which bled into crimson as her transformation changed once more, trailing down in a spiral of light and revealing her same dress, but it was now pure white, coloured with accents of red. Wings elapsed from her shoulder, folding out into delicate yet strong layers of feathers. However the expressions in their eyes didn’t change for a second. Worry into desperation into despair into resolve.

A tear slid down Hawkmoth’s cheek at the realisation that he had never before felt like that, or delivered a speech as long as he had just done, when akumatising someone. He looked up when he felt her squeeze his hand and was captivated by her stare. She was shaking her head slightly, and he cocked his head.

“I’m not alone,” she whispered, eyes gleaming. And then they were in each other’s arms again. The contact conveyed valleys more than words could, and together they spiralled down into a pit of agony, mixed with the apprehension of Hawkmoth and the yearning power of his partner. But both felt fear, and it  _ hurt _ .

They grasped onto each other for dear life, like after this they would part forever, after this there would be no more, after this everything would melt away. Because there was every chance of that happening.

But hope fought through, and it grew and blossomed.

Paris was getting torn apart, and the fabric of its existence needed to be sewn back together.

They pulled apart simultaneously, and she pressed her lips to his briefly. Then she set her gaze on a distant point out of the window.

“There is a storm brewing on the horizon, and I am the lightning.”


	3. Chapter 3

Lila didn’t know what to do. She had rampaged across the city with the asset the ox miraculous had given her, and she had destroyed much of central Paris--buildings lay in rubble and the screaming of the insignificant people punctuated her ears. That wasn’t even what she had been planning--but these miraculouses gave her force, so force was what she used. They didn’t help the fact that her head was pounding; she should have listened to the kwamis--she had put on too many miraculouses and as a result she could barely see, every bone in her body ached and-

She.

Couldn’t.

Think.

In her delirium she called for cataclysm, and hit the tallest nearby building. She darted out of the way as it tumbled, fending off falling rocks. Then, she activated the turtle miraculous’ power, and a green barrier shimmered into existence around her. A growl was forced out of her as a piercing pain waved through her body… and didn’t leave. She had to find Ladybug, now. And--Lila wrung her hands violently, imagining the pain she would inflict on  _ Marinette Dupain-Cheng _ .

\-----------------

“I know where they  _ were _ .” Hawkmoth said. “I saw through Lila’s eyes, before I took her akuma away. But as to where Ladybug is, I have no idea… she’s probably somewhere near Lila. Come, we’ll find her."

He started to jump away, but Mayura stopped him. "We'll be faster if I take you."

She grabbed him without warning and flew into the air. Hawkmoth gasped at their fast ascent. It was almost calming, just swooping over Paris like gravity didn't exist.

If you put away the sounds of destruction, and a city crying out for help. But it was difficult to ignore. Hawkmoth closed his eyes, and he didn't know it, but he wasn't the only one shedding tears. Then, he heard an intake of breath from above. “Look,” Mayura whispered. He opened his eyes, and almost fell out of her grip.

Then they continued to gawk at what Lila was doing, and  _ how  _ she was doing it. Ninety percent of Hawkmoth’s hope drained away. “Can you stop being so pessimistic?” Mayura said, “It’s not good for the skin. And maybe, this might end well. Um, alright, this is weird,” she muttered, trying to figure out how her powers worked. “So, Ladybug is going to be in that-” she pointed with difficulty- “Alleyway in about ten seconds, because she’s been fighting Lila for a while and she’s getting nowhere.”

A mental tug of Ladybug’s indignant and despaired feelings confirmed it, and Mayura descended quickly, dropping him to his feet feeling like he had left his stomach fifty metres above; she landed silently behind.

“Hawkmoth!?” Ladybug exclaimed, backing away quickly. “ _ Mayura? _ ” The heroine didn’t look too good--one pigtail had come undone, and her face was red with exertion; she was panting.

Hawkmoth realised he had to speak quickly, otherwise he was about to get knocked out. “Wait, I don’t- want- to hurt you… or take your miraculouses.”

That stopped Ladybug short. “ _ What? _ ” She asked breathily.

“Look at Paris.” He said. “I want to help. Can I help? Although, that wasn't really a question, if you don't mind. Call me selfish, I  _ do  _ care for this city.”

Ladybug started to speak, but Hawkmoth interrupted her, "I don't need you to come back at me with a million stories about, how can I care for Paris when I exploit its citizens daily? I honestly have no answer--actually, I do, but you wouldn't colour it as valid," he finished wearily. "At the end of the day, I live here. I'm a citizen of Paris."

"Alright…” Ladybug said slowly, clearly struggling to comprehend this. Hawkmoth didn’t blame her. “Now, don't try any funny business. And Mayura, what’s with the costume change… are you akumatised?”

“Yes,” she said somewhat defiantly. “I’m White Dove.” Ladybug nodded slowly.

“I can’t believe you did that.” Hawkmoth turned to her sharply. “This isn’t going to end well for you.”

“What do you mean?” Ladybug asked. “I thought  _ you _ were the one who did the akumatising.”

“I didn’t exactly oversee it. She grabbed the akuma, and we didn’t have time to come up with another plan. She shouldn’t have done it--her miraculous is already broken.”

“Wait, it  _ is _ ?”

“Yes.” He folded his arms.

"Oh… that explains some things. You seem angry; I thought you guys worked together…" Ladybug said.

"Have you never argued with your dear partner?" Hawkmoth said, somewhat mockingly.

"I mean… yes. Fine, whatever," Ladybug struggled. "I  _ can _ think of a few times I've been mad at him. But that's just part of life. We're good friends most of the time. But that doesn't matter; I can't believe I'm just  _ talking _ to you! You're a villain who terrorised Paris! I'm the one who’s supposed to be protecting everyone from you!”

"Look, I know there's no reason for you to trust me, but this is bigger than getting your miraculouses, about the wish I desired to make with them. This is about the fate of Paris, and I don't know about you, but I'd quite like to keep my home city."

“What about… Chat Noir?” Ladybug asked carefully.

“Adrien’s miraculous was stolen by Lila, was it not?” Hawkmoth said bluntly, confirming that he had seen Lila taking their miraculouses, and he knew their identities.

“Oh yeah, you watched it all, didn’t you? Like a  _ parasite _ , never helping, just lingering.” Ladybug shot. Although she had flinched when Hawkmoth had said the identity of her partner, despite her knowing it already.

“Well, it was useful this time, wasn’t it?” Hawkmoth countered, but he knew it was true.

“Never mind. But as soon as we can get the cat miraculous back, I’m giving it to Adrien.”

“Of course,” he said distractedly. “Is he alright, by the way?”

“Since when do you care? But yes, I checked on him, and told him to stay put. Although, I doubt he did--he’s probably trying to help other people, even without the suit.” Ladybug glanced to a spot behind Hawkmoth. 

“What power did you give her, by the way? White Dove.”

“As well as being to create a sentimonster--which would be more powerful than usual--I gave her...”

"Yes?"

"Precognition. She can predict things that will happen.”

“Like his imminent pain,” White Dove supplied, jerking a thumb towards Hawkmoth.

“My wha- Aahh,” he winced.

“Whoa,” said Ladybug. “And also what?”

"You have no idea how disorientating constantly feeling emotions from everywhere can be. It’s not like I can turn it off, and considering what’s happening, I’d say there are quite a lot of strong emotions being experienced, so-"

Mayura cut him off, her wings twitching. "Come on, we don't have much time. Truce?" Ladybug uneasily nodded, eyebrows furrowing as the sound of a crash came from behind.

“I’ll make a senti… creature. It feels wrong calling it a monster,” said White Dove decisively. She smiled humourlessly, “Sorry, this one isn’t very imaginative.” A tangle of purple dust weaved itself into a form as she concentrated. An almost exact duplicate of her, except the copy didn’t have the peacock miraculous set on its chest. “Well, now we have another fighter. Senti-dove.”

Ladybug shrugged, and Hawkmoth raised an eyebrow. “Alright, let’s go.”


	4. Chapter 4

Lila was waiting for them, in a midnight-black suit which curled into white gloves and blue knee-high boots. Fox ears were set on her hair, the tips of which flowed into white, and magenta stripes on her hips. She stood tall. Especially since above her towered a glowing blue copy of herself. Ladybug didn’t even know which miraculous gave that power. Ox?

The three glanced at each other. “I-” Ladybug stammered. “What do I do? I had to run away just now.”

“We,” Hawkmoth corrected. “We’re working together.”

“Shut up,” Ladybug muttered. Receiving a sharp look from Hawkmoth, she blanched, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that at you. I mean, I kinda did, but… I’m just a little stressed.”

Hawkmoth shrugged. “Understandable. And I do have an idea, actually. In order to defeat her, we need to get her miraculouses. You and Mayura can distract the avatar, while Senti-Dove and I will try to land as many hits as possible on the Shell-ter--it’s bound to break sometime.”

“I’ll try.”

“Trying is all we can do at this point, and we just have to hope it will pay off,” Hawkmoth said softly.

“Let’s go,” Ladybug said to White Dove, already swinging away on her yoyo. White Dove spread her wings and leaped after her.

Senti-Dove and Hawkmoth darted straight towards Lila, who looked at them menacingly. Above, Hawkmoth could see Ladybug and White Dove side by side, working seamlessly together against the avatar--they couldn’t do anything against Lila herself yet, as she had the Shell-ter. They seemed to be keeping it at bay and preventing it from doing any further damage. He watched them jump onto a wide, flat roof, where the avatar swiped at them with a roar.

Once, he yelled up at Ladybug to swap with her, and they changed positions.

“Nope,” White Dove grunted, pulling him to one side as a fist came down on where Hawkmoth would have been without the warning. Shaking, he was thankful for the power he had given her.

The next few minutes passed by like a blur, and Hawkmoth felt himself growing weary with every blow he took, and every punch he threw. Suddenly, he realised that he was alone.

"White… Dove?" he called over his shoulder. When he received no response, he turned. She was gone. The rooftop sat white, immaculate. Empty.

He ran to the edge of the building.

White Dove was lying there. Still.

Hawkmoth immediately jumped down, barely noticing when the impact jarred his leg. Dropping to her side, he took in her condition. She seemed to be dazed, but as he tried to ease her into a sitting position, she gasped and gripped his arm. "Go," She gasped. "Go help Ladybug. I'll keep the senticreature alive." Reluctantly, he left, leaving her propped up against the wall.

Surveying the image before him, he saw a green flash, and saw that Lila had shed the Turtle miraculous, consequently removing the protective barrier surrounding her. Now she was open, so they could go for the miraculouses. He saw Ladybug duck and scoop up the Turtle miraculous and stow it in her yoyo.

Ladybug saw Hawkmoth return, without White Dove; she hoped that the seemingly reformed villain was okay. The avatar bellowed, and swung a fist, barely missing Hawmkoth. Or so Ladybug thought. But when the fist raised, he was no longer there. He had been hit by the avatar, and was hanging on for dear life. Ladybug watched as with deadly intent on her eyes, Lila flicked a wrist. The avatar complied, slamming Hawkmoth against a wall.

Hawkmoth did not let go, and scrambled up the avatar’s arm, then ran, dazed, onto the its head, which was bucking around. "Senti-dove, grab the Ox miraculous!" Hawkmoth yelled. The senticreature complied, nipped in, and took the miraculous from Lila. Lila backhanded the senticreature away just as the avatar blinked out of existence and Hawkmoth came crashing to the roof. Ladybug tossed her yoyo at him and slowed his fall. “Thanks,” he breathed, winded from being slammed into the wall, and now the hard surface. He rested there for a few seconds, though it felt like longer. Ladybug retrieved the Ox miraculous from Senti-Dove just as she disappeared.

Through his delirium Hawkmoth vaguely heard Ladybug call for her lucky charm, exclaim in exasperation, and stow it away to continue fighting.

He stood up, and breathed for a few seconds to stop the dizziness.

Then, Hawkmoth felt a tingle on the back of his neck. On instinct, he turned around, just in time to grab Lila’s baton before it finished its course towards him; he used it to pull her towards him, throwing an arm to elbow her in the stomach. She stumbled, but quickly came back with a punch in the jaw to Hawkmoth, who reeled back, stunned. He wiped a trail of spit and blood from his chin, wincing. Lila smirked. “What a little baby! Can’t even take a punch properly--you really are a useless villain. Riding up there in your lair on your high horse, too scared to come down. But you crawled down when I did in two seconds more than you’ve ever achieved in a year’s worth of pointless butterflies.”

“You don’t even know what I wanted.” Hawkmoth said, lifting his chin. “I didn’t want to destroy Paris.”

“Oh, silly me,” Lila laughed tinkly, “I thought that was exactly what you were trying to do--terribly!” She chuckled again, coldly, and punched Hawkmoth again, sending him to his knees. She rolled her eyes theatrically as she inspected the speck of blood on her white gloves. “Now look at what you’ve done, you’ve gone and ruined my outfit, and it  _ was _ spectacular.”

“The suit you’re not supposed to have,” Hawkmoth grunted. “You don’t deserve it.”

“Hah, like you’re  _ worthy _ of the butterfly miraculous?”

Hawkmoth didn’t respond, just coughed up blood, which dribbled down his chin.

“And now you’re all alone, on your knees. Where. You. Belong.” she snarled into his ear, bending down.

White Dove and Ladybug appeared over the edge of the building. “He was never alone. Not once.” White Dove said.

“You certainly took your time,” Lila cackled from her crouch.

“It was an illusion…” Ladybug gasped. “We didn’t know--she just disappeared, and then we heard you up here. I think the Tiger miraculous grants the power of stealth.”

Suddenly Lila staggered, eyes unfocusing; she gritted her teeth and growled, bringing hands up to clutch her head.

“It’s the amount of miraculouses she’s wearing…” Hawkmoth murmured, using the time to wipe the blood away from his mouth.

White Dove strode forwards and grabbed Lila by the back of the neck, pulling her to her feet and walking her backwards. Eyes growing wide, Lila’s hands clutched at White Doves’, but her grip was too strong. Lila tripped in her panic, yelping in pain as all her weight was put on her neck. She began to retch, movements becoming clumsier as she struggled for breath, continuing to trip as she was dragged backwards, eyes bulging.

White Dove smiled grimly. “It’s over.”

“No it isn’t,” gasped Lila, twisting violently and stamping hard on her captor’s foot--she was released, and in that second she lunged towards Ladybug, murderous promise in her eyes.

“Let go of her!” Hawkmoth yelled.

“Not yet!” Lila screeched, dragging herself and a thrashing Ladybug towards the edge of the building. “NO!” White Dove yelled, diving towards them and wrenching Ladybug out of Lila’s grip. The girl fell down, stunned, onto the roof, but White Dove’s momentum had been too strong. Lila plunged off the roof.

Bringing White Dove plummeting down with her.

Hawkmoth scrambled to the edge of the building. In the midst of the tumbling and scuffling as White Dove and Lila fought in midair, his eyes met briefly with the woman he loved, and he saw the fear in her eyes, the tears forming there, in slow motion as her wings fluttered around her, suspended in time. He knew those tears would not be allowed to fall, and Lila’s words echoed in Hawkmoth’s mind.  _ Not yet. _ “This is not the end.” He said in her mind, and she tensed. Then she gasped, and spread her wings; they jolted as air resistance fought in their favour. It was enough to slow their fall, but the shock was obviously still hard, the impact making them both roll away--impact that Hawkmoth felt like a hammer to the chest just watching it.

Hawkmoth turned to Ladybug, who was standing near him, still. “White Dove… saved me?” She mumbled, eyes wide in confusion. “Ladybug,” Hawkmoth prompted, “We need to get down there.”

“Oh, yes,” she shook her head, and quickly brought them both down from the building with her yoyo.

“Ladybug!” Hawkmoth warned, as Lila moved on the floor.

“Make White Dove better,” she said with a commanding note. “I can handle Lila, she’s no threat now.”

White Dove made a high pitched noise of pain, and Hawkmoth felt it. “Thank you, White Dove.” He said sincerely, taking her hand in his. She grimaced, and he concentrated, bringing the akuma out from her miraculous. Her dress returned to blue, and her wings disappeared, revealing Mayura, shivering in his arms.

“Lila, it’s time to answer for your actions.” The red-spotted hero ordered.

The shivering girl didn’t answer. “The amount of miraculouses she tried to put on is too much for her. It’s taking its toll.”

Lila whimpered, then ripped off the two she was wearing--Black Cat and Tiger. Two kwamis tumbled out as her suit disappeared, revealing her usual auburn hair, red jacket and grey romper.

Ladybug took out her yoyo, dismissed the kwamis before stowing the miraculouses away in a compartment, and called the police. “Go and hide, or they might try to capture you,” she told Hawkmoth, who took Mayura in his arms and walked off to an alley. Every step felt like iron.

When the police arrived, Ladybug raised her voice, “Please hold Lila until I get back soon from sorting something out. Don’t worry, she’s harmless now.” She received a nod of confirmation, then threw her yoyo in the direction Hawkmoth had gone.


	5. Chapter 5

“Is she- is she  _ gone? _ ” Ladybug stuttered upon seeing White Dove.

“No! I won’t believe it!” Hawkmoth growled.

But her limpness in his arms told him otherwise. She lay light, like a ragdoll, showing no signs of life. But she appeared to be holding on still, on the brink--her chest still rose and fell softly. Before, she had been shaken by coughs, but she had grown too exhausted to even do that.

Suddenly he gasped, and Ladybug looked at him through teary eyes questioningly. “She knew,” Hawkmoth said. “She  _ knew _ this was going to happen.”

Ladybug gulped.

“I can’t believe she still went for it, all of this, and she knew the outcome.”

“The lucky charm wouldn’t work. Not for this.”

"But the damage was done by the miraculous, right?"

"Not by Lila, the current problem, the misused miraculous. That's what my power is for."

"No… that's where you don't know the problem."

"What don’t I know?"

"Her miraculous… is the problem. It's broken. Always has been. It's the villain. It's what's hurting her."

"The damage is too bad then. I mean..." Ladybug glanced at White Dove, and bit her lip.

"Please try.  _ Please _ . I- I can’t- I  _ need  _ her." His voice broke. “Please,” he whispered.

"Tell me first… why do you want our miraculouses?"

He said it without hesitation, "The miraculouses of the Ladybug and Black Cat, when combined, can grant the wearer one wish. I wanted… to bring my wife back. The peacock miraculous killed her."

Ladybug froze.

"That's all I ever wanted. But I'm not even sure if I want that anymore." His eyes strayed to Mayura.

Ladybug noticed, of course. "You're in love with Mayura, aren't you?"

"Yes," he whispered.

"Does she love you back?"

"I- yes. Yes, she does. I  _ can  _ feel positive emotions too, you know,” he smiled humourlessly.

He could sense her unwillingness. "I'd give you back my miraculous. The peacock one too. It's done enough."

He reached down to remove the peacock miraculous from Mayura. Ladybug put a hand on her arm, and he was shocked that she could show him such compassion after how he had treated her. "You don't have to reveal your identities."

"No, I have to come clean. But just know, don't punish Mayura for my mistakes. It was all me; she just did it… for me."

"I don't think I would punish you. Your experiences have been punishment enough, and you've learnt from your mistakes."

“I wonder if you’ll be surprised when you find out who I am,” he whispered.

“I don’t know what to expect, but I can promise that no matter how angry I am at you, I will not tell anyone else your identity, and I won’t try to hurt you.”

“That’s a relief,” he laughed without humour as he said, “Nooroo, Dark Wings Fall.”

Ladybug was speechless. She opened her mouth, an expression of rage coming over her face, then she clenched her jaw, and stared at him with stony eyes, as she honoured her promise. “Oh,” she said in a small voice.

With trembling hands Gabriel took the peacock brooch from Mayura, and she detransformed. “It makes sense,” Ladybug said in a low voice, her face looking downcast as she swallowed down her emotions. Gabriel had no doubt that if she wasn’t controlling herself she would be yelling at him right now.

“I’ll do the lucky charm. I’ll try it.”

“Even now you know who I am… to you, to Chat Noir, you’ll still help me?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m furious with you, but you’ve come clean, just as you said. I truly believe you do want to change.”

Ladybug opened her yoyo, and brought out… a flower. Gabriel’s heart snapped. “This is the lucky charm,” she said. “But I don’t know what to do with it, how to use it.”

“It’s- it’s a  _ carnation _ . It’s an important flower-” he cleared his dry throat- “To her. It will work.”

Ladybug looked into Gabriel’s eyes. Something passed between them, and she nodded.

She placed the carnation on Nathalie’s chest, and whispered, “Miraculous Ladybug.” Unlike all the other Miraculous Cures she had performed, she did not fling this one into the air. Instead, she gently pressed it to Nathalie’s chest, where it seemed to diffuse and disappear. She closed her eyes, as Nathalie’s eyelids began to flutter. Her eyes opened, and they glowed brighter, just for a second, before returning to a tired gaze.

"Gabriel?" She asked, confused.

“Nathalie.” Gabriel’s voice broke with emotion, as he bent down to wrap her in a hug. She accepted it gratefully, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. She reached up, and brought his lips down to hers softly. Ladybug turned away.

After a few seconds, Hawkmoth said to Ladybug, "Please can you go and get Chat Noir? I would like for him to be here; I need to talk to him."


	6. Chapter 6

Adrien hadn’t taken the news about him being Hawkmoth very well, but it had been expected. But Gabriel couldn't focus on that right now. He knew Adrien was safe, and that had to be enough. Now, he had to care for Nathalie.

The fight had been one of the longest Hawkmoth had ever experienced; it had been incredibly taxing. This had been one of the rare occasions where both Hawkmoth and Mayura--in a sense--had been out fighting at the same time. It had obviously been unplanned, due to Lila’s madness, but the opportunity had presented itself, even though Hawkmoth had disliked it, and Mayura had made the decision before he could even talk it over with her. That woman was insufferable… and incredible.

They hadn’t said a word to each other since--Nathalie  _ was _ awake, but she had been mute the whole journey. Now the light was dim, and Gabriel sat a silent vigil, while his assistant lay unmoving next to him. Nathalie had been in a bad state; Gabriel had quickly turned on some soft music in the background, it had helped her to calm down some. It was ever present in the background, and it almost compelled him to fall asleep. Almost. He was too worried about Nathalie for that though. Her breath came in laboured rasps, and he was powerless to help her. Her eyes were dull, barely open slits, but the white and blue that he could see was clearly glazed with pain, and as she realised that he was looking, her face turned slightly away, mirroring the worry he knew was etched all over his visage. She  _ was  _ healed from the peacock miraculous's damage, but she would still be weak for a while. The piano continued to play on the player--Gabriel only owned this possession because Emilie had loved music, he had no skill at the art whatsoever.

Nathalie shivered, and Gabriel immediately, automatically, scooted closer to her, and placed a hand on her arm. Her irises glinted like pools in the light of the small lamp on the table emitting a gentle yellow light. He stiffened as he felt her arm tense and he saw her eyes screw up tightly, and she held her breath. He didn’t even have to ask why—he felt the wave of pain through his miraculous. A moment later, her hand, ice-cold to the touch, found its way on top of his, and he brought his other hand round so his enveloped hers as he tried to massage some warmth into her skin. She responded with a surprised look at him through fatigued lenses. He held her hand tighter as she began to tremble, trying to send a silent message through the small sparse inches of their touch:  _ yes, I care about you.  _ She seemed to relax, and his miraculous confirmed it. Although he didn’t need the butterfly brooch to know that.

Then, her cheeks coloured a soft rose pink as she realised that their gazes had somehow met over the last few seconds. And for some reason, neither of them could look away. He was lost in her eyes that conveyed so much, so much more than words. The emotions flashed too quickly past his mind, like they were mere specks on a vast motorway that stretched out forever in each direction, and each one of those emotions was a vehicle that zoomed past and ruffled him, until he was never the same.

Each feeling that made someone up was a different colour, an entirely unique shade--he knew this--but all he saw was greys and blacks, the darkest parts of a person. Like he was colour blind, to everything that he needed to see the most. Or, more likely, he blocked out anything else, believing it to be unhelpful to his cause, and therefore he didn’t need it cluttering up his head. However, on the horizon he saw something new, something he’d never seen before--colour. It was fast approaching, getting bigger and bigger, and then, it hit. Not a glancing blow, which was normally all he allowed. He didn't know if it was because he had been caught off guard or whether he had let it happen, but this one hit full on, and it forced a gasp from his mouth.

And he knew where it was coming from. Right next to him. Between them.

Nathalie was the first to break the gaze.

The silence was tense, and somehow it felt like the loudest noise, deafening. It was only broken by Nathalie's soft voice, just as Gabriel was about to open his mouth to say something about the worry radiating off her. 

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

"But… Emilie." He felt her guilt radiating off her, attempting in vain to mask her love for him, and he felt it even more--she shouldn’t have to do that.

"I'm letting her go, Nathalie. I'm not doing this anymore."

She said it in a small voice, "Oh."

"I'm sorry I did this to you."

"It's okay. I chose Mayura. But she's gone now."

"Thank you, Nathalie."

They were silent for a little. Then, “Please,” Nathalie’s voice came out as a bare whisper. “Talk to me. About anything. I don’t think I can face sleeping. The nightmares I’ve been having recently… let’s just say that they haven’t made the night a pleasant experience.”

He nodded, and her eyes brimmed with gratitude as she curled up even smaller next to him.

“What do you want me to talk about?” He asked.

“Anything,” she murmured. A teasing note crept into her voice, “As long as it’s you.”

He laughed, “What, would you like a bedtime story?”

“I’d take it.”

“Alright.” Gabriel smiled a bittersweet smile as an idea came to mind. “Let me tell you about… a man.” He faltered, as he realised that he wasn’t very experienced in the story-telling department, but he was strengthened by the grasp of his hand in hers. He continued, “There was a woman who worked for him, then he gradually fell in love with her, and he was too blind to realise, too busy trying to live in the past.”

There was no going back now; Gabriel was talking about  _ them _ , and he would finish.

“He hoped he could lose himself in the memory, and it would ease his suffering, but in fact it was reeling him in, and he went to desperate measures, which were damaging. And after he realised he had feelings for the woman who worked for him, he didn’t know how to tell her, because he didn’t know, at first. And they worked for a common cause, and he thought that telling her would unbalance their relationship. She was selfless; she always did what she thought was best for him, not her. She helped him tirelessly, to achieve his goal. And he realised that maybe, she loved him too. But he didn’t know what to do, how to act. He was so bad at this because he hadn’t experienced any similar feeling for a year already, and even that time it was less genuine than this. He had no idea what to do. But she guided him through it, even though she didn’t know she had, at first. Because two are far stronger at rowing through the rapids of life, than one struggling on their own who has long been swept away by the tide."

Nathalie relaxed, and he sensed that she had gone to sleep; but her mind was at rest now, he could sense it. He let out a sigh of relief.

It was done. He had poured out his feelings for her; he hadn’t even known he could speak like that, but the words had just flowed out. He guessed it came naturally when you were talking about someone you loved dearly.

Gabriel didn’t realise, but over the course of the last 10 minutes, his hand had become entangled in her hair, and it had come loose; strands of crimson and midnight blue spilled out over her tiny body.

Nathalie had fallen asleep before he had finished talking, and he hoped she hadn’t understood who he had been talking about, but at the same time, he hoped desperately that she had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it!! I hope y'all like it; taking part in the Reverse Bang was an amazing experience :D


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